


Puppy Love

by Kalikuks



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Blackwatch Era, Blackwatch Jesse McCree, Blackwatch Reaper | Gabriel Reyes, Jesse is in his Twenties, M/M, There's a puppy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-31
Updated: 2016-12-31
Packaged: 2018-09-13 16:14:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,047
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9131875
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kalikuks/pseuds/Kalikuks
Summary: In which Jesse McCree sneaks a puppy onto base





	

There were many other reasons in Gabriel’s mind as to why Jesse had been avoiding him for the last few weeks. 

Naturally, when his lover had started to avoid him, Gabriel had given Jesse his space. Figured that McCree had finally found someone else, someone younger, to fool around with. As much as the thought had hurt, Gabriel was not one to trap Jesse into anything he no longer wanted, and was going to let the younger man go without a fuss. He’d even called Jesse to his office to talk it over, since trying to pin him down to speak during what little free time they both were afforded had become impossible. Heck, Jesse had stopped sneaking into his quarters at night, how else was Gabriel to get him all to himself? 

What Gabriel hadn’t anticipated was his assumption being wrong, and after a long, heartfelt discussion in which he reassured a distraught McCree, his young lover finally agreed to show Gabriel his real reason for sneaking around behind his back. 

Which had led Gabriel here, in Jesse’s old dorm, looking down at the smallest German Shepard puppy he had ever laid eyes on. It was little, waddling over itself on paws too large for its diminutive form, all the while one of its ears stuck straight up, and the other flopped over. Jesse had even put a small red bandana around its neck. Jesse at least had the decency to look guilty for keeping this secret for so long.

Gabriel pinched the bridge of his nose, even though his exasperation was dampened by the barest hint of a smile on his face, “You mean to tell me, you’ve been tiptoeing around, avoiding me, avoiding the entire squad, taking meals alone because you snuck a puppy on base. How the hell did you sneak a puppy onto the base.”

“Now Darlin’, ya know I don’t like ta reveal my secrets.” Jesse teased, though the way he played with the brim of his hat in his hands betrayed his nervousness, “But I jus’ saw the little gal an’ couldn’t let ‘er be alone.”

“Little gal, huh?” Gabriel bent down, letting the pup sniff at his hand, scratching behind her flopped ear when she pressed closer to him curiously, “Knowing you, you’ve already named her, haven’t you?”

Jesse nodded, “Yeah… called her Belle.”

Gabriel’s lips quirked into a smirk, “Like Belle Starr?”

Jesse chuckled in response, “Ya know me too well, Sug.” 

Gabriel smiled softly at that, before he sighed heavily, righting himself after he gave Belle one last pat, “I can tell you’re attached to her, Jess. But you can’t keep a dog on base. You know that.”

Jesse’s face fell like Gabriel knew it would, and the young man sighed, “Yeah… I know.”

“I know you meant well, mi corazón, giving a lost pup a home.” Gabriel pulled Jesse to his side, tucking his lover in close, “But rules are rules. All of us are too busy to properly look after her and give her the attention and care she needs. It would be unfair to her.”

Jesse didn’t look happy in the slightest, but he nodded in understanding, “You’re right. She needs someone ta take care of her an’ raise her up right. I can’t do that.” 

Gabriel smoothed a hand through Jesse’s unkempt hair, “We’ll take her into town, get her vaccinated and put in a shelter where she’ll be safe and cared for until someone adopts her, okay?”

“…A no-kill shelter. I don’t want her ta go out like that. She deserves a long life.” Jesse fiddled with his hat, not meeting Gabriel’s eyes, “…a second chance, y’know. She was just a puppy out on the street. She didn’t know better.”

Gabriel was silent for a time, regarding Jesse before he pressed a kiss to the top of Jesse’s head, “Of course. I’ll look into the shelters around the city, okay? You don’t worry about anything other than how you’re going to smuggle her off of the base.”

True to his word, Gabriel had looked into every shelter in the closest city, choosing one that wouldn’t euthanise their dogs and had a high adoption rate. Jesse, for his part, seemed to manage to get Belle off of base just as mysteriously as he had gotten her on base, and he and Gabe rendezvoused on time, taking a nondescript truck into the city. 

Getting Belle checked over and into the shelter went smoothly, and soon Gabriel and Jesse were driving back to base after grabbing some lunch. Gabriel couldn’t stop his gaze from wandering over to Jesse briefly on the way back, catching how the younger man’s gaze was forlorn and wistful as the scenery whizzed past them. 

“…You always wanted a dog?” He asked to break the silence, watching Jesse briefly to make sure he was listening. 

“Yeah. I like ‘em. Dogs are good companions. Loyal. They love ya no matter what as long as you’re nice ta them. You?”

“I like them well enough.” Gabriel hazarded a glance over to Jesse, finding his lover’s gaze on him, “Why do you ask?”

Jesse shrugged, reaching up to possibly fiddle with his hat before he thought better of it, “Do ya think that you an’ I would ever get one? Y’know… after we retire or somethin’?”

Gabriel’s eyebrows shot up in surprise, “You and me?”

“Yeah.” Jesse’s voice was softer than Gabriel had ever heard it, almost so quiet he would have missed it over the hum of the truck’s engine if he hadn’t been so tuned into Jesse, “You an’ me. Maybe a house in the suburbs too.”

Gabriel blinked but offered Jesse a soft smile, “White picket fence? Big yard for a big dog to run around in?”

Jesse nodded, not so shy in his admission anymore, “It’s cliché as all hell, I know, but…”

“But it’s something you want.” Gabriel finished for him, “With me.”

“Yeah.” Jesse agreed, “With you.”

“…I’d like that,” Gabriel admitted. 

“Yeah?!” 

Gabriel looked over, finding Jesse staring back with such warm affection and eagerness that even Gabriel Reyes couldn’t help but crack a smile of his own. Gabriel slid one of his hands from the steering wheel, taking one of Jesse’s and twining their fingers. 

“Yeah.”

**Author's Note:**

> This is a belated Christmas Gift fic for my best friend!
> 
> Belle Starr was a famous Outlaw. That's who the puppy is named after.


End file.
